Keywords are the heart of any search engine optimization strategy. Proper selection and placement of keywords on your Web site will determine how your site is ranked. And if your site is ranked high, it will generate a lot of free traffic.
The keywords on your site need to match the keywords your visitors are searching. For example, if a visitor is looking for “search engine optimization” and they type in the same keyphrase ,” then your website has a better chance of showing up in the search engine’s results pages – of course, the same keyword must be on your web page and you should properly optimize your page for this keyphrase.
Keywords vs. Keyphrases
Searchers generally use 3-4 keywords rather than just one keyword. Therefore, you should focus on finding keyphrases rather than an individual keyword. Some keywords are also more competitive than others. For example, if you choose the keyword “website”, it’s a very competitive and general term. However, if you choose something specific like “Toronto website design“, then it is easier to get ranked for this keyword phrase rather than the keyword “website” only.
The Magic of Keywords
The word keyword is used so often nowadays – it’s like a magic pill to get you high rankings. But, there’s more to it than just stuffing your site with random words. And of course, besides keywords, there are other factors in determining search engine rankings.
As a general rule, don’t use more than 3 keyphrases per page. As an example, for a real estate site, you could use:
– realtors + location
– sell homes
– buy homes
You would use these 3 keyphrases on one page. Each page on your website would then have 3 different keyphrases targeted for each web page.
How do you choose the right keywords?
If you ask a business owner this question “If you were looking for a business like yours on the web, what keywords would you look for? they generally answer with the name of their product which usually only a few people know about. But, how would someone who doesn’t know about your product search for you (unless it’s a well-known brand)? Think about what words, users would want to search to find your product or service and then make a list of these keywords.
Keyword research reports are one of the best ways to get this type of information as they are detailed. A typical report will list:
– keywords specific to your product or services
– number of searches for each keyword according to search engines
– the number of times each keyword has been searched by visitors
– what your keyword will cost if you use pay-per-click ads.
There are several excellent keyword tools, one of the most popular being Google Keyword Planner. This tool is handy to find out what keywords people are searching for. Use this tool to brainstorm a list of keywords for your site and then use the most relevant ones with a decent number of searches. You might discover keyword combinations that you never thought of before.
Where should you use keywords on your page?
The most important places you should use your keywords are:
1. Title Tag
Title tag is the text that is displayed at the top of the Web browser. Every page on your site should contain a unique title tag with your primary keyphrase for your web page. Your title tag should ideally contain no more than 60 characters.
2. Meta Description Tag
Meta description tags are html tags that describe the page. These are used in the html code of the page. They are important in deciding the relevancy of the page for keywords.
Search engines look for the the meta description tag. The meta description tag is a description of the page contents. The text you use in the description tag will appear on your listing in the search results. It should entice people to click on your link to go to your site.
3. Content
Your targeted keywords should be used in the page content at least once. LSI keywords (related to your keyword) should be used in the headings, image alt tags (text displayed when you mouse over a picture) and anchor text.
Summary:
1. Pick the right keywords
2. Use no more than 3 keywords per page
3. Use these in the title tag. Use keyword variations in the meta description tag, headings, image alt tags and anchor text on your web page
